The images in question aren’t real. In a shocking lapse of judgment, British documentary makers have seen fit to re-enact Hutchence’s death.

In The Last Hours of Michael Hutchence, set to air on Channel 7 on September 14, the INXS frontman is played by a curly-haired actor, Ian Robert Brown, whose resume now includes “rock star corpse” … hardly an auspicious claim to fame.

Portrayal or betrayal? ... The INXS frontman is played is by actor Ian Robert Brown in Autopsy: The Last Hours of Michael Hutchence. Picture: Channel SevenSource:Channel 7

The show sifts through the autopsy and toxicology reports from Hutchence’s death. It relies on extensive interviews with Dr Richard Shepherd, himself a rock star in the world of pathology. Shepherd has worked on high profile cases including Princess Diana, Michael Jackson and Anna Nicole Smith.

Shepherd barely conceals his excitement about the subject, as he dissects the coroner’s findings of drugs and alcohol in Hutchence’s system, and speculates about his state of mind.

Former NSW coroner Derrick Hand is also interviewed, along with Hutchence’s biographer, journalists and a family “friend”.

In life, our privacy is protected by doctor-patient confidentiality. In death, there is no such protection.

Shepherd says that although heroin wasn’t present in Hutchence’s system at the time of death, he may have been using the drug in the weeks before his death.

He cites deep burns on two of his fingers, almost down to the bone. This is common in heroin addicts deeply anaesthetised by the drug, who may not notice a cigarette burning their skin.

Seven’s recent biopic, Never Tear Us Apart, showed that years after his death, there’s still a huge appetite for information about the rock star.

Re-enacting the room bar ... Michael Hutchence’s death is now a TV show.Source:Channel 7

The two-part program featured the band’s music heavily. It wasn’t necessarily a great drama, but was well-received and widely watched by audiences. In it, Hutchence’s death was more tastefully implied, and not shown.

Re-enactments are usually reserved for crime shows and current affairs programs. They’re often tacky, sometimes funny. Filler, used to pad out programs that can’t show or don’t have actual footage of events.

But to re-create what is believed to be a suicide goes far beyond the realm of good taste. Despite a high-tolerance for TV sex and violence, the sight of ‘Hutchence’ placing a leather loop around his neck before hanging made me feel sick.

Of course I’m merely an interested fan, like so many others. It’s Hutchence’s family, particularly daughter Tiger-Lily, who stand to be the most affected by these hideous scenes.

Having lost her mother to a drug overdose not long after Hutchence’s death, Tiger-Lily, now 18, is constantly reminded of the hedonistic details surrounding both her parents deaths.

Yes, we have all lapped up the details of Hutchence’s scandalous death. We soaked up the snippets as they came to hand. That he hanged himself with a leather belt in Double Bay’s plush Ritz-Carlton hotel. That booze, prescription pills and cocaine all played a part in his last hours. But we don’t need to see it.

The story of Hutchence’s demise is already sad. But by re-enacting his last moments, the documentary makers have eked out the last vestige of dignity he had.

If you or someone you know may be at risk of suicide contact Lifeline 13 11 14, Beyond Blue 1300 22 46 36, or Salvo Care Line 1300 36 36 22.